Railway couplers



M y 1964 F. c. KULIEKE ETAL RAILWAY COUPLERS Filed Sept. 10, 1962 INVENTORS zfd'el e M Mac/5 to"? Je w United States Patent cc 3,133,646 RAILWAY COUPLERS Frederick C. Knlieke, Alliance, and Lee G. Wisler, Salem,

Ohio, assignors to Amsted Industries Incorporated, Chicago, 111., a corporation of New Jersey Filed Sept. 10, 1962, Ser. No. 222,326 6 Claims. (Cl. 213-154) This invention relates to railway couplers and more particularly to F type couplers.

Conventional F type railway couplers are provided with upper and lower interlocking lugs and an interlocking wing pocket therebetween to engage a guard arm nose on a mating coupler. During coupling engagement of misaligned couplers, the guard arm nose on one coupler may strike an interlocking lug on a mating coupler with sufficient force to break the lug from the head. It is, therefore, an object of the invention to a provide an F type coupler head in which the interlocking lugs are formed and reinforced to reduce breakage of the lugs during coupling engagement of misaligned mating couplers.

Another object of the invention resides in the provision of an F type coupler in which the upper and lower interlocking lugs are provided with reinforcing ribs which extend rearwardly and inwardly to merge with the knuckle tail wall of the head.

The invention embodies other novel features, details of construction and arrangement of parts which are hereinafter set forth in the specification and claims and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, forming part thereof, wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a fragmentary top plan view illustrating an F type railway coupler embodying features of the invention; 7

FIGURE 2 is a side elevation showing the knuckle side of the coupler;

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary bottom plan view.

Referring now to the drawings for a better understanding of the invention, an improved F type railway coupler is shown as comprising a head 2 having vertically spaced pivot lugs 3 formed with aligned apertures 4 to receive a pivot pin to support a knuckle. A conventional guard the other side of the head. An interlocking wing pocket 9 is formed in the head between the upper and lower interlocking lugs 7 and 8 to receive the guard arm nose of a mating coupler.

The upper aligning lug 7 is provided with upwardly extending inner and outer walls 11 and 12, respectively,

merging with a front wall 13 having a lateral aligning surface 14 for abuting engagement against an aligning surface on a mating coupler. As shown in FIGURE 1, the inner wall 11 merges with a rear wall 16, and the outer wall 12 merges with a reinforcing rib 17 which extends rearwardly and inwardly to merge with a knuckle tail wall18.

The lower aligning lug 8 extends downwardly from the head below thev upper aligning lug 7 and is provided with a lateral aligning surface 19 substantially coplanar with .the surface 14 on the upper aligning lug 7. The

, 3,133,646 Patented May 19, 1964 lower lug 8 is provided with a reinforcing rib 21 which curves rearwardly and inwardly to merge with the knuckle tail wall 18.

In conventional F type couplers, the upper and lower aligning lugs 7 and 8 are reinforced by ribs A and B respectively which are shown in dot and dash outline on FIGURES 1 and 3, respectively.

We claim:

1. In an F type railway coupler, a head having a knuckle tail wall and an interlocking wing pocket adjacent said wall adapted to receive a guard arm nose on a mating coupler, upper and lower interlocking lugs projecting from said head adjacent the upper and lower ends of said pocket, and reinforcing ribs extending rearwardly from their respective lugs and merging with said tail Wall.

2. In an F type railway coupler, a head having a knuckle tail wall and an interlocking wing packet adjacent said wall adapted to receive a guard arm nose on a mating coupler, upper and lower interlocking lugs projecting from said head adjacent the upper and lower ends of said pocket, and reinforcing ribs extending rearwardly from their respective lugs and merging with said tail wall, said upper lug having spaced inner and outer walls merging with a front wall having a lateral aligning surface for abuting engagement against an aligning surface on a mating coupler, the upper lug reinforcing rib extending inwardly and rearwardly from said outer wall and merging with said tail wall.

3. In an F type railway coupler, a head having a knuckle tail wall at one side thereof and an interlocking wing pocket adjacent said wall adapted to receive a guard arm nose on a mating coupler, upper and lower interlocking lugs projecting forwardly from said head adjacent the upper and lower ends of said pocket, said upper lug having spaced inner and outer walls merging with a front wall, and a reinforcing rib extending rearwardly and inwardly from said outer wall and merging with said knuckle tail wall.

4. In an F type railway coupler, a head having a knuckle tail wall at one side thereof and an interlocking wing pocket adjacent said wall adapted to receive a guard arm nose on a mating coupler, upper and lower interlocking lugs projecting forwardly from said head adjacent the upper and lower ends of said pocket, said upper lug having spaced inner and outer walls merging with a front wall, a reinforcing rib extending rearwardly and inwardly from said outer wall and merging with said knuckle tail wall, and an arcuate reinforcing rib extending rearwardly and inwardly from said lower lug and merging with said knuckle tail wall.

5. In an F type railway coupler, a head having a knuckle tail wall at one side thereof and an interlocking wing pocket adjacent said wall adapted to receive a guard arm nose on a mating coupler, upper and lower interlocking lugs projecting forwardly from said head adjacent the upper and lower ends of said pocket, said upper lug having spaced inner and outer walls merging with a front wall, a reinforcing rib extending rearwardly and inwardly from said outer wall and merging with said knuckle tail wall, and an arcuate reinforcing rib extending rearwardly and inwardly from said lower lug and merging with said knuckle tail wall, said outer wall n'b having a thickness substantially equal to the thickness of said outer wall.

6. In an F type railway coupler, a head having a knuckle tail Wall at one side thereof and an interlocking wing pocket adjacent said wall adapted to receive a guard arm nose on a mating coupler, upper and lower interlocking lugs projecting forwardly from said head adjacent the upper and lower ends of said pocket, said upper lug having spaced inner and outer walls merging with a front wall, a reinforcing rib extending rearwardly 10 4 and inwardly from said outer wall and merging with said knuckle tail wall, and an arcuate reinforcing rib extending rearwardly and inwardly from said lower lug and merging with said knuckle tail wall, said outer wall rib having a thickness substantially equal to the thickness of said outer wall, said arcuate rib having a thickness substantially equal to the thickness of said lower lug.

No references cited. 

1. IN AN F TYPE RAILWAY COUPLER, A HEAD HAVING A KNUCKLE TAIL WALL AND AN INTERLOCKING WING POCKET ADJACENT SAID WALL ADAPTED TO RECEIVE A GUARD ARM NOSE ON A MATING COUPLER, UPPER AND LOWER INTERLOCKING LUGS PROJECTING FROM SAID HEAD ADJACENT THE UPPER AND LOWER ENDS OF SAID POCKET, AND REINFORCING RIBS EXTENDING REARWARDLY FROM THEIR RESPECTIVE LUGS AND MERGING WITH SAID TAIL WALL. 